How do we use so?
Let's start with “so” as a coordinating conjunction – a word that joins two or more things, such as sentences or other words. When used in this way, it means "therefore" or "for that reason." For this meaning, “so” joins two complete sentences and shows the result of something in the second sentence.
Why is so used?
So means 'to that extent' or 'that much'. It is often used when we are talking about a high degree of something. I am so tired.
Why do we end sentences with so?
Because the word's traditional function is to connect two clauses or ideas, when you hear a “so,” you expect something to follow—an upshot or a conclusion of some kind. Thus a “so” followed by a period, or an ellipses as the case may be, indicates that there is an upshot being implied there.
What is the meaning of so use?
Definition of souse (Entry 1 of 3) transitive verb. 1 : pickle. 2a : to plunge in liquid : immerse. b : drench, saturate.
How do I use so in a sentence?
We are all so excited about the trip. I'm so happy that you decided to join us for dinner. I feel so much better after taking that nap. Thank you so much for your help.
What are the example of so?
[M] [T] She didn't have any money, so she couldn't go with me. [M] [T] She had changed so much that I couldn't recognize her. [M] [T] I never imagined so many people would come to my party. [M] [T] He hurried to the station so he wouldn't miss the train.
Why do people say so?
Some people start a sentence with "so" to indicate that the listener is a bit of a simpleton, so the speaker will use appropriately uncomplicated words. If this is so, more people should be annoyed. "So" may also indicate that the speech that follows has been rehearsed.
What sort of word is so?
In English, the word so is highly polysemous. It can be used as an adverb, a conjunction, a pronoun, an interjection, or an adjective.
Should a sentence start with so?
In fact, starting a sentence with a conjunction such as so, for, but can actually be totally acceptable. Most people don't care, but those who do, care a whole lot. So, why do many people hate seeing it? Well, the main reason is that it can result in fragmented sentences, which impede flow and readability.
What is so mean in text?
Significant OtherIts first definition on Urban Dictionary dates all the way back to November of 2001 and reads, “abbreviation for Significant Other.” It eventually rose to popularity thanks to chat apps like iMessage and WhatsApp, and social media, especially Twitter.
What can I say instead of so?
soaccordingly,consequently,ergo,hence,therefore,thereupon,thus,wherefore.
Can you end a sentence with so?
If someone ends a sentence with so, the speaker is making the assumption that the listener will understand what the speaker would say, had the speaker continued. Look at the following example: Speaker 1: How was your date? Speaker 2: Well, he didn't show up, so…
What kind of word is so?
In English, the word so is highly polysemous. It can be used as an adverb, a conjunction, a pronoun, an interjection, or an adjective.
What kind of pronoun is so?
The word “so” is used to replace “to make changes,” and is therefore considered as a pronoun.
Can you start a sentence with so?
In fact, starting a sentence with a conjunction such as so, for, but can actually be totally acceptable. Most people don't care, but those who do, care a whole lot. So, why do many people hate seeing it? Well, the main reason is that it can result in fragmented sentences, which impede flow and readability.
How do you use so as an adverb?
So can be used in the following ways: as an adverb (followed by an adjective or another adverb): Why are you so angry this morning? It all happened so quickly. (with a verb): We were so looking forward to meeting your family.
How does "so" work?
In this example, the sentence-initial so is being used in two different ways. So works as a conversational prompt in the first line, and in the third line, so is used to carry on the conversation. In this way, so is a tool that helps ensure the conversation keeps up its pace by allowing a quick transition from one topic to another. Additionally so is sometimes used to change the subject altogether; a person might start a non-sequitur with the word so . It’s a way for a savvy conversationalist to avoid awkward silences. Professor Geoffrey Raymond explores the sentence-initial s o in his paper “Prompting Action: The Stand-Alone ‘So’ in Ordinary Conversation.” Take, for example, the following exchange:
What is the difference between "so" and "oh"?
To begin with ‘so,’…is to signal that one’s coming words are chosen for their relevance to the listener.” If words like so and oh were used to arbitrarily fill a pause, they wouldn’t take on such different functions from each other. Bolden suggests here that the sentence-initial s o is a way for the speaker to subtly cue to the listener that the following information is relevant to the listener’s interests. Whether or not the information is actually relevant is for the listener to decide, though perhaps this cue makes it more likely for a conversational partner to pay attention. (If you want to learn more, Bolden’s research is also discussed in this Language Log post.)
What is coordinating conjunction?
Generally coordinating conjunctions are used to connect words, phrase, clauses, or sentences. However, the sentence-initial s o is unique in that the connection being made is more conceptual than grammatical. The items being linked are streams of conversation, and not the traditional adjacent words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. ...
Is "so" a verbal marker?
The point of reference might not even be a verbal marker in the conversation ; it could, as described above in the second example, be something like a feeling of awkwardness. In English, the word so is highly polysemous. It can be used as an adverb, a conjunction, a pronoun, an interjection, or an adjective.
Who said "I never felt so grateful to any creature below the sun as I did to Sirrah that morning?
Long afterward James Hogg said, "I never felt so grateful to any creature below the sun as I did to Sirrah that morning."
Did the girl make a different decision about it so many times that his head must be spinning?
In fact, she had made a different decision about it so many times that his head must be spinning.
Do bears know the Voe?
It is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of Voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies.
What does "so" mean in Victorian literature?
If that "so" were a chapter title in a Victorian novel, it would read, "In which it is explained what the reader must know before his question can be given a proper answer.". Scientists have been using that backstory "so" among themselves since the 1980s, but its recent spread is probably due to the tech boom.
What does "so" mean in the backstory?
But that backstory "so" can stand in for people's impatience with the experts who use it. When you hear a labor economist or computer scientist begin an answer with "so," they're usually telling us that things are more complicated than we thought, and maybe more complicated than we really want to know.
Is "so" a fad?
To listen to the media tell it, "so" is busting out all over — or at least at the beginning of a sentence. New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas calls "so" the new "um" and "like"; others call it a plague and a fad.
Who said "so" in his book?
In his 2001 book The New New Thing, Michael Lewis noted that programmers always started their answers with "so.". That's around the time when I first heard it, working at a Silicon Valley research center. Mark Zuckerberg answers questions with "so" all the time: "So, it comes down to the economics ...".
Is NPR overusing "so"?
NPR itself has been singled out for overuse of "so" by both interview ees and hosts. That prompted the NPR head of standards and practices to calculate how many times the hosts and reporters on the major NPR news programs had started sentences with "so" in a single week in August of 2014.
What does "so" mean in English?
The different meanings of so. The word So has five common uses in English. Very simply, we could express these by describing the five different functions in a few words. So expresses consequence, with the general meaning of therefore. So expresses purpose, with the meaning of in order that. So expresses addition, with the general meaning ...
What does "so expresses purpose" mean?
So expresses purpose, with the meaning of in order that. So expresses addition, with the general meaning of and also. So expresses a degree; it is an intensifier with a meaning similar to very. So expresses agreement or confirmation, with a general meaning of " it is true " or " it is the case". Now, let's look more closely at each of these,.
Why are words so short?
Many words are short, because they are common; like is , or be or to or so . As essential common words, they've evolved for centuries, and their shortness has helped them to survive. They may not always be easy to use, but they are easy to remember.
Is "so" a conjunction?
In this case, so is a subordinating conjunction, expressing a purpose. It can either be used alone, or else in the expression so that. The subordinate clause of purpose can either precede or follow the main clause. So that is usually preferred if the subordinate clause of purpose comes before the main clause.
Is "so" the same as "very"?
So does not quite mean the same as very ; it is an intensifier, an adverb of degree qualifying an adjective, and expressing relative high degree, or a perception of high degree. It is often used to qualify an adjective in a statement of consequence.
What does it mean when you say "so" followed by a period?
Thus a “so” followed by a period, or an ellipses as the case may be, indicates that there is an upshot being implied there. It’s just not being spoken aloud.
What is the meaning of "so" in Wiig's book?
Wiig’s character, Penelope, compulsively one-upped the people around her with exaggerations and lies about how she’d done all the stuff they’d done, only better. And she often ended her sentences with the word “so.”. The end of a sentence is not a natural place to put a “so.” “So” is a conjunction—its very nature is to be between things.
Why is the upshot left unsaid?
He thinks that often, the upshot is left unsaid because it’s negative in some way. It could be something negative about the person who’s speaking (“Where were you last night?” “I had food poisoning, so.”), about the person who’s listening, or about a third party.
Does "so" have a heritage?
That “so” has a heritage as a conjunction has a lot to do with what it implies at the end of a sentence.
Is "so" a conjunction?
The end of a sentence is not a natural place to put a “so.” “So” is a conjunction—its very nature is to be between things. Penelope’s “so”s are left hanging—one hand grasping the clause before it, the other reaching out for the friend it’s used to being there, only to find a fistful of air.
Is "so" a discourse marker?
The way “so” is being used in these instances is as a discourse marker—a word that doesn’t add explicit meaning to what you’re saying, but can mark your place in a sentence. “Well” and “oh” are other examples of discourse markers. A “so” at the beginning of a sentence is a discourse marker too—à la “So, I said to him …”
When to use "so" in a sentence?
In most instances where I see it used in the fiction books I edit, it’s in a quote being spoken by someone. In that context, I would punctuate it to indicate how it would be spoken. Most people pause momentarily after saying it when they’re beginning a sentence: “So, I hear that…” Their voice inflection also tends to drop on the word to indicate that they’re about to drop a juicy piece of gossip they’ve heard.
What does "so" mean in a sentence?
Starting a sentence with the conjunction “so” is, for me, synonymous with liberal elites. When I hear it used it is normally a signal to me not to listen to what a person is saying.
Why do we start sentences with "so"?
Beginning a sentence in conversation with the word “so” makes the speaker sound stupid. The usage creates the impression that the speaker wants to sound intelligent. It reminds me of every idiot who years ago prefaced sentences with “basically” as if something illuminating was about to be revealed.
Why not use "so" or "basically"?
To not use the terms “so” or “basically” deprives the communication feature of human beings some pleasure in simple, “get-to-the-point” jest, humor and wit. Spelling it out for overcomplicated persons will not help you get promoted in any institution EXCEPT a school or university.
What to do when you don't like what you are reading?
And stop being a jerk trying to tell everyone else how they should write. If you read, read. And if you don’t like what you are reading, read something else.
Is it a mistake to start a sentence with "but"?
There is a widespread belief—one with no historical or grammatical foundation—that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions.
Do you put a comma after "so"?
In reasoning out an argument, where “so” points to a conclusion, I can see that “so” doesn’t need a comma after it. But in quoted conversation, I feel it’d be useful for conveying the pause that many speakers would make in their speech.
How to use a comma in a sentence?
Three are three ways to use a comma in a sentence. Go to Commas Made Simple to download a short, jargon-free handout. A semicolon is even easier. It’s just like a period, without a capital letter following. A semicolon is even easier; it’s just like a period, without a capital letter following. I like semicolons.
What is a semicolon in a sentence?
Independent clauses are clauses that can stand on their own as complete sentences. Semicolons are one way to connect two related independent clauses or sentences.
When to use colons and semicolons?
colons are most commonly used to introduce a list. semicolons are most commonly used to join related sentences of equal rank. don't use : and ; with conjunctions. On it's own, it is of no use: theoretical knowledge; look up sentences with : and ; and read at least a hundred of them. You'll get the idea.
Is "to have" a verb?
It’s not just the verb “to have” either of course, most verbs take the same form, such as “I’m trying on this dress to see if it fits”, “You will be eating out tonight?”, Are you going to town?”, “We are/will be flying to Rio tomorrow”. Whilst you may thing that the last one is actually the future, it is of course, but the flying bit means it’s continuous whilst it’s actually happening. English is easy to speak without knowing grammar if you were brought up on it. Having an Asian wife, I realise how difficult it can be at times!
Can you use "having" in a sentence?
Yes. We can use “having” when it is used:
Do you use conjunctions with a semicolon?
Do not use conjunctions if you use a semicolon. Colons are for when you want to connect an independent clause with “a list, a quotation, appositive, or other idea directly related to the independent clause” (from the OWL at Purdue ). You use a semicolon to connect two independent clauses.
